South Salem, New York, is home to 10 new celebrities.

TheNew York Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) welcomed 10 rare red wolf pups on April 19. Charlotte gave birth to four pups and then momma wolf Veronica had her six pups just a few hours later. Now, about nine weeks after this busy day, all of the red wolf babies and their parents are doing well.

Courtesy New York Wolf Conservation Center

Rare Baby Red Wolves CR: Courtesy New York Wolf Conservation Center

While the WCC is dedicated to giving all of their wolf residents the best care, these red wolf pups especially need to be handled with kid gloves since there are likely less than 30red wolves left in the wild.

This species has had a tumultuous history.

Rare Baby Red Wolves CR: Courtesy New York Wolf Conservation Center

Rare Baby Red Wolves CR: Courtesy New York Wolf Conservation Center

In 1987, the USFWS gave the red wolf a second chance at survival in the wild, releasing several captive bred wolves into North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge as part of a federal reintroduction program under the Endangered Species Act. This effort was moving toward success, with the red wolf population up to 130 after 20 years of careful monitoring, and it showed signs of continuing to increase.

Unfortunately, the forward progress was stalled.

Rare Baby Red Wolves CR: Courtesy New York Wolf Conservation Center

Now, the WCC estimates there are less than 30 red wolves left in the wild, and they could be placed in captivity soon, leaving the species essentially extinct once again.

Rare Baby Red Wolves CR: Courtesy New York Wolf Conservation Center

To keep the red wolf from disappearing from the planet altogether, WCC and 42 other facilities in the U.S. participate in the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan — a breeding and management program whose primary purpose is to support the reestablishment of red wolves in the wild through captive breeding, public education and research.

Rare Baby Red Wolves CR: Courtesy New York Wolf Conservation Center

“Under Red Wolf Species Survival Plan protocols, captive born pups must be checked during certain milestones in their development. We checked the pups at 5 days old to determine the size of the litter and take stock of their health, and then again last week at their 2 month mark,” WCC’s executive director Maggie Howell tells PEOPLE.

Rare Baby Red Wolves CR: Courtesy New York Wolf Conservation Center

By keeping this species alive through excellent care and selective breeding, the WCC and the other facilities that are a part of the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan are keeping the hope alive that the red wolf can thrive in the wild once more. But for this to happen, the red wolf will need the support the government once provided the species.

source: people.com